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UN Road Safety Week to be held on April 2007

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26.4 deaths per 100 000 population is the mortality rate from road traffic injuries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, The highest record in the world after the African Region.

With the steady increase in the number of road traffic deaths witnessed by this Region over the past decade, it is estimated that even a higher mortality rate will be reached soon.

More growing facts and chocking numbers are involved, deaths and morbidity due to road traffic crashes surpasses even the deaths caused by most prevalent diseases, like Tuberculosis in developing countries, the cost incurred to the governments in the Eastern Mediterranean Region by road traffic crashes was more than US$ 7.5 billion.

“The First UN Road Safety Week” is a global endeavor to respond to the enormity of the situation. It is the outcome of the UN General Assembly Resolution 60/5 which mandates the UN Economic Commissions and the World Health Organization (WHO) to assist the Member States in raising awareness about the issue, helping them in designing policy frameworks and promoting action around key risk factors as identified in the World Report or road traffic injury prevention.

To make Member States better prepared to organize the UN Road Safety Week, three organization mainly WHO, ESCWA and GRSP are organizing a two day training workshop for the focal persons representing 13 Member States from the Region.

The objectives of the workshop that is held at EMRO premises from 20-21 December 2006 are to engage those focal points in preparations of the UN Week and discuss various National and Regional events towards one week, and to create a Regional network of individuals and organizations for road safety.

“Road traffic crashes, no doubt, stand among the most important causes of injuries and deaths not only globally but also in our Region. Every day thousands of people are killed and annually millions are injured who may never be able to lead the same lives again.” Dr Hussein Gezairy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Stated.

It is worth mentioning that worldwide, deaths due to road traffic crashes each year are estimated at almost 1.2 million, while the number of those injured could be as high as 50 million- the combined population of live of the world’s large cities. Worse, without increased efforts and new initiatives, the total number of road traffic deaths and injuries worldwide is forecast to rise by some 65% between 2000 and 2020.

Prevention is the key for road safety crisis anywhere in the world but prevention efforts would bear fruits only when all the important partners and sectors are actively engaged in a coordinated response. Partnership between different agencies within or outside the UN system at the international, regional and country levels is all but important. Partnership broadens the support for road safety efforts